Plain answers, in writing

Injury cases run on contingency fees: no money up front, and the attorney's fee is a percentage of what's recovered. No recovery, no attorney's fee. Case costs (records, experts, filing fees) are separate, and how they're handled if a case loses must be spelled out in your written agreement — read that section before signing with anyone. California law also requires the agreement to say the fee is negotiable. If there is no recovery, you are not asked to repay the case costs the firm advanced, as long as the written agreement’s conditions are met (among them, following the firm’s advice and staying with the firm to the end of the case); if they are not met, you may owe those costs. Costs a court orders you to pay the other side are separate.

No honest lawyer can promise that in your specific case. What I can say is how it works: insurers price claims based on the credible threat of trial. What I can promise is transparency: before you decide anything, you'll see the realistic value range, the fee, and the liens, so you can judge the net for yourself.

If your health insurance, Medi-Cal, Medicare, or a hospital paid for your treatment, they typically have a right to be paid back out of your settlement. Liens are why two identical settlements can net wildly different amounts — and negotiating them can change what you keep. Full explainer here.

Generally two years from the injury for personal injury, but exceptions cut both ways: government-entity claims can require a claim within six months, minors' deadlines usually toll, and discovery rules can shift the clock. Don't guess — have a lawyer confirm your actual deadline, free, this week.

Because your case shouldn't be valued until doctors can say what your future looks like — settle before that and the risk of being under-compensated is yours forever. Add insurer processing, litigation deadlines, and court calendars, and 12–24 months is normal for a litigated case. The phase-by-phase timeline.

California is a "pure comparative negligence" state: being partly at fault reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault, but doesn't eliminate it. Adjusters know this and routinely overstate your share — fault allocation is an argument, not a fact, and it's one of the main things lawyers fight about.

You generally must cooperate with your own insurer under your policy. You have no obligation to give the other side's insurer a recorded statement, and it rarely helps you — those statements exist to lock in wording that can be used against you later. Talk to a lawyer first; it costs nothing.

It's information. A fast offer usually means liability is clear and the insurer wants the file closed before the full cost of your treatment is known. Once you sign a release, it's over — even if you need surgery later. Know your case's range before accepting anything. How early offers work.

Sometimes no — and I'll tell you so. For genuinely minor claims with small medical bills and full recovery, self-resolving can make sense, and a consultation can arm you to do it. Where lawyers change outcomes is disputed liability, significant or ongoing treatment, and anything involving commercial defendants or serious injury.